By The Oak Tree: My Favorite's First Father's Day

Shortly before Father's Day last year, Ken and I received the most glorious news. We were going to be parents! Ever since our first date, I knew that Ken would not only be a great husband, but also a terrific father. We were so overjoyed that our dream of starting a family was finally coming true! And a year later, I can say that my intuition about Ken's fatherhood skills was exactly right. He's incredible. I simply couldn't ask for more, and I am so thankful for all he does for me and our family.

So this year, his first Father's Day was very special. I wanted it to be a celebration of him, our fathers, and of our precious baby. So, what did we do? We baptized our sweet baby girl! We had both of our families here (his brother drove in from Montana, my mom flew from Pennsylvania, his parents came from Baton Rouge), which is a very rare treat. In fact, we haven't all been together in one space since our wedding.

Because we were all together, I couldn't help myself. We had to have a professional photo session. It was perfect timing because Malley turned 4 months last week, and we had all of our family together in one place! I can't wait to see the beautiful family pictures. I have dreamed of the "Generations of Women" pictures for years. Maybe since I was a teenager, but who is counting. Wait, all teenage girls don't dream of the day when they are able to have a photo shoot with their mom and baby girl? Whatever, it's normal. I will certainly post the pictures as soon as I get them from our amazing photographer!

On Father's Day we gathered our families and her Godparents for her Baptism and Brunch. It was such a wonderful day. Malley's Godmother is my best girlfriend of many years, Hayley. She was my Matron of Honor and is a wonderful role model for Malley. She started her own business at the ripe old age of 22 and is just incredibly talented, smart, and loves the Lord. She inspires me, and I know that she'll inspire Malley to do great things. Her Godfather is an equally angelic man, who is Ken's friend and colleague. Tony is brilliant, driven, ethical, and passionate about improving lives. Our daughter is lucky to be surrounded by such love, intellect, faith, and kindness.

Here are some pictures from Father's Day/Malley's Baptism. After church, we headed to brunch at Ousie's Table. It was wonderful to have such an intimate setting and to have everyone together! It was a great day! Unfortunately, it ended with me having a battle royale with food poisoning, but hopefully I won't remember that part in 10 years.....

My own father is a very special guy, too. He loves his kids with all of his heart, and would do anything for us. He taught us to work hard, be honest, set goals, play golf, ride bikes, and how to enjoy a great meal. Watching him with our daughter is also very special. He is so good with her! I can tell that they'll be best buddies. My father-in-law is also awesome. He is smart, well- read, funny, and he ADORES his granddaughter. We are certainly lucky to have great men in our lives!